Masters of Russian Animation, Vol. 1

The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! Moscow's answer to the Mouse, the Soyuzmultfilm Studio, created in 1936, has produced over 1,500 animated titles over the years, many garnering awards at major festivals. Now available for the first time on video, a 7-volume collection (series price: $125) showcases 16 of Russia's world-renowned animators. We watched the first volume, a collection of four shorts, which opened with Fyodor Khitruk's "Film! Film! Film!", a satirical look at the film industry that might have been sharp and funny in 1975 but seems flat and overlong in 1998. The second piece, however, is worth the price of the tape alone: Yelena Gavriko's "Girlfriend", a 1990 semi-surrealist piece exploring a magical relationship between a man and a fish. Also notable, the third short, Eduard Nazarov's "Hunt", a conventional (though beautifully drawn) anti-hunting vignette. The tape closes as it opens, with an older, less effective piece, Lev Atamanov's "Ballerina on the Boat." Given the incredible popularity of animated films (which, I believe, will only grow), the seven volumes in the Masters of Russian Animation series are enthusiastically recommended. (Note: Serious animation collections will also want to consider the larger Authorized International Edition of Russian language animated titles from the Soyuzmultfilm Studio Library--also available from Video Information Source. Presently, the collection boasts over 50 titles, priced at $9.99 each.) Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)